Just a Computer - No Big Deal
Bob Moore

We are going through a transition in our school district from a primarily Macintosh environment to one that is more Windows based. There has been major concern voiced from many teachers about having to "throw out" all they were taught and now learn something entirely new....

So, as I wrestled with this, I also made the decision to purchase a new home computer. My daughters have been %100 Macintosh users for 6 years, both at home and at school (since one was 5 years old and the other one 3). Following the trend, I brought a new Windows PC home one Saturday afternoon, dismantled the old Mac, setup up the new computer, and installed software. Expecting to spend the better part of my weekend teaching my kids to learn this "new" technology, my 3rd grade daughter told me to go away and that she and her sister didn't need my help. He exact words were, "It's just a computer. It's no big deal." I had just read Growing Up Digital and these remarks hit me like a ton of bricks. Within minutes of being at their new computer these kids were starting programs, printing, and surfing the net. It really was no big deal.

I use this story now whenever possible to stress to teachers that all of this computer technology may be a big deal to us adults, but to our kids, there "just computers."